Calling the idea “unfair, harmful and impractical”, Budaörs mayor Tamás Wittinghoff said it is obvious that drivers “will descend en masse” to smaller towns around the city when the toll is introduced on January 1.

Third District mayor Balázs Bús said the fee is unacceptable, adding that introducing a toll for the Megyeri bridge north of Budapest will cause more transport problems.

At the other end of the Megyeri bridge, Fourth District mayor Zsolt Wintermantel issued a statement expressing his outrage.

Spokesman Zoltán Kovács said the government is not worried that traffic will increase on downtown roads.

Economy Minister Mihály Varga admitted that the toll will patch up a hole in the budget, Magyar Nemzet reports.

Prime Minister’s Office development policy undersecretary Nándor Csepreghy defended the plan, telling reporters that the annual Ft 5,000 cost of the new county highway passes is barely more than Ft 400 a month.

Source: Hungary Around the Clock

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